Telesystem Innovations

LTE in a Nutshell:
The Physical Layer

WHITE PAPER
OVERVIEW
The design of the LTE physical layer (PHY) is heavily influenced by the requirements for high peak transmission rate
(100 Mbps DL/50 Mbps UL), spectral efficiency, and multiple channel bandwidths (1.25-20 MHz). To fulfill these
requirements, orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) was selected as the basis for the PHY layer. OFDM
is a technology that dates back to the 1960’s. It was considered for 3G systems in the mid-1990s before being
determined too immature. Developments in electronics and signal processing since that time has made OFDM a
mature technology widely used in other access systems like 802.11 (WiFi) and 802.16 (WiMAX) and broadcast
systems (Digital Audio/Video Broadcast – DAB/DVB).

In addition to OFDM, LTE implements multiple-antenna techniques such as MIMO (multiple input multiple output)
which can either increase channel capacity (spatial multiplexing) or enhance signal robustness (space
frequency/time coding).

Together, OFDM and MIMO are two key technologies featured in LTE and constitute major differentiation over 3G
systems which are based on code division multiple access (CDMA). This whitepaper presents an overview of the
LTE physical layer which in itself is a very large and feature-rich topic, particularly as there are different modes of
operation (FDD/TDD) and different downlink and uplink access technologies (OFDMA, SC-FDMA), along with
options and exceptions for each mode and access technology. To narrow the scope, this paper will focus on
essential aspects of the physical layer for FDD mode which is the dominant mode of operation and selected by
incumbent mobile operators as it fits well into existing and perspective spectrum assignments. Furthermore, the
topic of MIMO is left out and is a subject to a separate whitepaper. It is hoped that this paper will serve as a useful
introduction to practitioners involved in designing LTE based-networks and systems such as network engineers,
product managers and technical managers.

MULTIPLE ACCESS TECHNIQUES

The OFDM technology is based on using multiple narrow band sub-carriers spread over a wide channel bandwidth.
The sub-carriers are mutually orthogonal in the frequency domain which mitigates intersymbol interference (ISI) as
shown in Figure 1. Each of these sub-carriers experiences ‘flat fading’ as they have a bandwidth smaller than the
mobile channel coherence bandwidth. This obviates the need for complex frequency equalizers which are featured
in 3G technologies.

∆f

FIGURE 1 OFDM SUBCARRIER SPACING.

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The information data stream is parallelized and spread across the sub-carriers for transmission. The process of
modulating data symbols and combining them is equivalent to an Inverse Fourier Transform operation (IFFT). This
results in an OFDM symbol of duration Tu which is termed ‘useful symbol length’. In the receiver, the reverse
operation is applied to the OFDM symbol to retrieve the data stream – which is equivalent to a Fast Fourier
Transform operation (FFT).

The mobile propagation channel is typically time dispersive: multiple replicas of a transmitted signal are received
with various time delays due to multipath resulting from reflections the signal incurs along the path between the
transmitter and receiver. Time dispersion is equivalent to a frequency selective channel frequency response. This
leads to at least a partial loss of orthogonality between sub-carriers. The result is intersymbol interference not only
within a sub-carrier, but also between sub-carriers. To prevent an overlapping of symbols and reduce intersymbol
interference, a guard interval Tg is added at the beginning of the OFDM symbol. The guard time interval, or cyclic
prefix (CP) is a duplication of a fraction of the symbol end. The total symbol length becomes Ts = Tu + Tg. This makes
the OFDM symbol insensitive to time dispersion.

There are many advantages to using OFDM in a mobile access system, namely:

1- Long symbol time and guard interval increases robustness to multipath and limits intersymbol
interference.

2- Eliminates the need for intra-cell interference cancellation.

3- Allows flexible utilization of frequency spectrum.

4- Increases spectral efficiency due to orthogonality between sub-carriers.

5- Allows optimization of data rates for all users in a cell by transmitting on the best (i.e. non-faded) sub-
carriers for each user.

This last feature is the fundamental aspect of OFDMA: the use of OFDM technology to multiplex traffic by
allocating specific patterns of sub-carriers in the time-frequency space to different users. In addition to data traffic,
control channels and reference symbols can be interspersed. Control channels carry information on the network
and cell while reference symbols assist in determining the propagation channel response.

The downlink physical layer of LTE is based on OFDMA. However, despite its many advantages, OFDMA has certain
drawbacks such as high sensitivity to frequency offset (resulting from instability of electronics and Doppler spread
due to mobility) and high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). PAPR occurs due to random constructive addition of
sub-carriers and results in spectral spreading of the signal leading to adjacent channel interference. It is a problem
that can be overcome with high compression point power amplifiers and amplifier linearization techniques. While
these methods can be used on the base station, they become expensive on the User Equipment (UE). Hence, LTE
uses Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) with cyclic prefix on the uplink which reduces PAPR as there is only a single
carrier as opposed to N carriers. Figure 2 illustrates the concepts of OFDMA and SC-FDMA.

For practicality, SC-OFDMA is implemented in LTE using a Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM transmission
(DFTS-OFDM) which is commonly referred to as a frequency-domain generalization of SC-FDMA. The DFT is used to
multiplex uplink transmissions in specific frequency allocation blocks within the overall system bandwidth
according to eNodeB scheduler instructions. The bandwidth of the single carrier is determined based on the
required data rate by the user. Data remains serial and not parallelized as done on the downlink with OFDMA (i.e.
one information bit is being transmitted at a time). This leads to similar link performance parameters for the uplink

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and downlink. However, there would be relatively high intersymbol interference for the uplink due to the single
carrier modulation. This requires a low-complexity block equalizer at the eNodeB receiver to correct for the
distorting effects of the radio channel. SC-FDMA is not as sensitive to frequency instability and Doppler Effect as
OFDM because of its single carrier nature.

Frequency
Downlink Path: OFDMA

Frequency
Uplink Path: SC-FDMA

FIGURE 2 FREQUENCY DOMAIN REPRESENTATION OF DOWNLINK AND UPLINK LTE ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES.

PHYSICAL LAYER PARAMETERS

In the time domain, different time intervals within LTE are expressed as multiples of a basic time unit Ts =
1/30720000. The radio frame has a length of 10 ms (Tframe = 307200 · Ts). Each frame is divided into ten equally
sized subframes of 1 ms in length (Tsubframe = 30720 · Ts). Scheduling is done on a subframe basis for both the
downlink and uplink. Each subframe consists of two equally sized slots of 0.5 ms in length (Tslot = 15360 · Ts). Each
slot in turn consists of a number of OFDM symbols which can be either seven (normal cyclic prefix) or six (extended
cyclic prefix). Figure 3 shows the frame structure for LTE in FDD mode (Frame Structure Type 1).

The useful symbol time is Tu = 2048 ⋅ Ts ≈ 66.7 μs. For the normal mode, the first symbol has a cyclic prefix of
length TCP = 160 ⋅ Ts ≈ 5.2 μs. The remaining six symbols have a cyclic prefix of length TCP = 144 ⋅ Ts ≈ 4.7 μs. The
reason for different CP length of the first symbol is to make the overall slot length in terms of time units divisible
by 15360. For the extended mode, the cyclic prefix is TCP-e = 512 ⋅ Ts ≈ 16.7 μs. The CP is longer than the typical
delay spread of a few microseconds typically encountered in practice as shown in Figure 4. The normal cyclic prefix
is used in urban cells and high data rate applications while the extended cyclic prefix is used in special cases like
multi-cell broadcast and in very large cells (e.g. rural areas, low data rate applications).

The CP uses up part of the physical layer capacity: 7.5% in the case of normal cyclic prefix. One way to reduce the
relative overhead due to cyclic-prefix insertion is to reduce the sub-carrier spacing ∆f, with a corresponding
increase in the symbol time Tu as a consequence. However, this will increase the sensitivity of the OFDM
transmission to frequency instability resulting from fast channel variations (i.e. high Doppler spread) as well as
different types of frequency errors due to electronics.

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 One radio frame, Tframe = 307200 × Ts = 10 ms

Tsubframe = 1 ms

#0 #1 #2 #3 #18 #19

Tslot = 0.5 ms

CP: 5.2 µs Useful symbol length: CP: 4.7 µs

160 samples 66.7 µs; 2048 samples 144 samples

Special OFDM symbol: OFDM symbol:

71.9 µs; 2208 samples 71.3 µs; 2192 samples

Values shown for normal CP assignment; ∆f = 15 kHz

FIGURE 3 FRAME STRUCTURE TYPE 1 (FDD FRAME).

Delay
Spread

Cyclic
Prefix Useful Symbol Time = 66.7 µs

LTE OFDM Symbol

FIGURE 4 SYMBOL STRUCTURE.

In the frequency domain, the number of sub-carriers N ranges from 128 to 2048, depending on channel bandwidth
with 512 and 1024 for 5 and 10 MHz, respectively, being most commonly used in practice. The sub-carrier spacing
is ∆f = 1/Tu = 15 kHz. The sampling rate is fs = ∆f · N = 15000 N. This results in a sampling rate that’s multiple or
sub-multiple of the WCDMA chip rate of 3.84 Mcps: LTE parameters have been chosen such that FFT lengths and
sampling rates are easily obtained for all operation modes while at the same time ensuring the easy
implementation of dual-mode devices with a common clock reference. Table 1 summarizes some of the main
physical layer parameters for LTE in FDD mode.

Not all the sub-carriers are modulated (i.e. used). The DC sub-carrier is not used as well as sub-carriers on either
side of the channel band: approximately 10% of sub-carriers are used as guard carriers.

In a macrocell, the coherence bandwidth of the signal is in the order of 1 MHz. Within the LTE carrier bandwidth of
up to 20 MHz there are some sub-carriers that are faded and other are not faded. Transmission is done using those

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frequencies that are not faded. The transmission can be scheduled by Resource Blocks (RB) each of which consists
of 12 consecutive sub-carriers, or 180 kHz, for the duration of one slot (0.5 ms). This granularity is selected to limit
signaling overhead. A Resource Element (RE) is the smallest defined unit which consists of one OFDM sub-carrier
during one OFDM symbol interval. Each Resource Block consists of 12 · 7 = 84 Resource Elements in case of normal
cyclic prefix (72 for extended CP). Figure 5 illustrates the definition of Resource Blocks and Resource Elements.

TABLE 1 LTE DOWNLINK PHYSICAL LAYER PARAMETERS.

Channel Bandwidth (MHz) 1.25 2.5 5 10 15 20
Frame Duration (ms) 10
Subframe Duration (ms) 1
Sub-carrier Spacing (kHz) 15
Sampling Frequency (MHz) 1.92 3.84 7.68 15.36 23.04 30.72
FFT Size 128 256 512 1024 1536 2048
Occupied Sub-carriers
76 151 301 601 901 1201
(inc. DC sub-carrier)
Guard Sub-carriers 52 105 211 423 635 847
Number of Resource Blocks 6 12 25 50 75 100
Occupied Channel
1.140 2.265 4.515 9.015 13.515 18.015
Bandwidth (MHz)
DL Bandwidth Efficiency 77.1% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90%
OFDM Symbols/Subframe 7/6 (short/long CP)
CP Length (Short CP) (µs) 5.2 (first symbol) / 4.69 (six following symbols)
CP Length (Long CP) (µs) 16.67

1 Subframe (2 Slots) (1 ms)

12
11
10
9
12 Sub-carriers

8
7
6
5 1 Resource
4 Element
3
2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 Resource Block 1 Symbol

FIGURE 5 RESOURCE BLOCK AND RESOURCE ELEMENT DEFINITION (NORMAL CP MODE).

The uplink transmission structure is similar to the downlink. The smallest unit of resource is the Resource Element
which consists of one SC-FDMA data block length on one sub-carrier (permissible to use this term because DFT is
used for pre-coding with a 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing). A resource block consists of 12 REs for the duration of a slot
(0.5 ms). The minimum allocated bandwidth to a UE is, therefore, 180 kHz. Multiple resource blocks are assigned

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consecutively in the frequency domain to a UE in the uplink while dispersed, non-consecutive assignment, is done
on the downlink.

In the time domain, a 10 ms uplink frame consists of 10 one ms subframes and 20 slots. The supported uplink CP
durations are he same as those of the downlink: normal CP of 4.69 µs and extended CP for 16.67 µs (duration of
first CP in normal mode is 5.2 µs, also similar to the downlink). A slot consists of 7 or 6 SC-FDMA symbols in case of
normal or extended mode CP, respectively.

REFERENCE SIGNALS

DOWNLINK REFERENCE SIGNALS

To allow for coherent demodulation at the user equipment, reference symbols (or pilot symbols) are inserted in
the OFDM time-frequency grid to allow for channel estimation. Downlink reference symbols are inserted within
the first and third last OFDM symbol of each slot with a frequency domain spacing of six sub-carriers (this
corresponds to the fifth and fourth OFDM symbols of the slot in case of normal and extended cyclic prefix,
respectively) as shown in Figure 6 for an LTE system with one antenna in normal CP mode. Furthermore, there is a
frequency domain staggering of three sub-carriers between the first and second reference symbols. Therefore,
there are four reference symbols within each Resource Block. The user equipment will interpolate over multiple
reference symbols to estimate the channel. In case of two transmit antennas, reference signals are inserted from
each antenna where the reference signals on the second antenna are offset in the frequency domain by three sub-
carriers. To allow the user equipment to accurately estimate the channel coefficients, nothing is transmitted on
the other antenna at the same time-frequency location of reference signals.

2 Slots (1 ms)

Frequency 12
11
10 R R
9
8
R R
6
1 Sub-carrier

5
4 R R
3
2
R 2 3 4 5 6 7 R 2 3 4 5 6 7 Time
`
1 Symbol
FIGURE 6 LOCATION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS WITHIN A RESOURCE BLOCK FOR A ONE
ANTENNA SYSTEM IN THE CASE OF A NORMAL CP.

The reference symbols have complex values which are determined according to the symbol position as well as of
the cell. LTE specifications refer to this as a two-dimensional reference-signal sequence which indicates the LTE cell
identity. There are 510 reference signal sequences corresponding to 510 different cell identities. The reference

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signals are derived from the product of a two-dimensional pseudo-random sequence and a two-dimensional
orthogonal sequence. There are 170 different pseudo-random sequences corresponding to 170 cell-identity
groups, and three orthogonal sequences each corresponding to a specific cell identity within the cell identity
group.

UPLINK REFERENCE SIGNALS

There are two types of reference signals for uplink in LTE. The first is Demodulation Reference Signals (DM-RS)
which are used to enable coherent signal demodulation at the eNodeB. These signals are time multiplexed with
uplink data and are transmitted on the fourth or third SC-FDMA symbol of an uplink slot for normal or extended
CP, respectively, using the same bandwidth as the data.

The second is Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) which is used to allow channel dependent (i.e. frequency selective)
uplink scheduling as the DM-RS cannot be used for this purposes since they are assigned over the assigned
bandwidth to a UE. The SRS is introduced as a wider band reference signal typically transmitted in the last SC-
FDMA symbol of a 1 ms subframe as shown in Figure 7. User data transmission is not allowed in this block which
results in about 7% reduction in uplink capacity. The SRS is an optional feature and is highly configurable to control
overhead – it can be turned off in a cell. Users with different transmission bandwidth share this sounding channel
in the frequency domain.

One Subframe (1 ms)

User #2

Data

Demodulation
User #1

Reference Signal

Sounding Reference
Signal

One Slot (0.5 ms)

FIGURE 7 UPLINK DEMODULATION AND SOUNDING CHANNEL REFERENCE SIGNALS (NORMAL CP MODE).

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SYNCHRONIZATION SEQUENCES
A User Equipment wishing to access the LTE system follows a cell search procedure which includes a series of
synchronization stages by which the UE determines time and frequency parameters that are necessary to
demodulate downlink signals, to transmit with correct timing and to acquire some critical system parameters.

There are three synchronization requirements in LTE: symbol timing acquisition by which the correct symbol start
is determined; carrier frequency synchronization which mitigates the effect of frequency errors resulting from
Doppler shift and errors from electronics; and sampling clock synchronization.

There are two cell search procedures in LTE: one for initial synchronization and another for detecting neighbor
cells in preparation for handover. In both cases, the UE uses two special signals broadcast on each cell: Primary
Synchronization Sequence (PSS) and Secondary Synchronization Sequence (SSS). The detection of these signals
allows the UE to complete time and frequency synchronization and to acquire useful system parameters such as
cell identity, cyclic prefix length, and access mode (FDD/TDD). At this stage, the UE can also decode the Physical
Broadcast Control Channel (PBCH) and obtain important system information.

Synchronization signals are transmitted twice per 10 ms radio frame. The PSS is located in the last OFDM symbol of
the first and 11th slot of each radio frame which allows the UE to acquire the slot boundary timing independent of
the type of cyclic prefix length. The PSS signal is the same for any given cell in every subframe in which it is
transmitted (the PSS uses a sequence known as Zadoff-Chu).

The location of the SSS immediately precedes the PSS – in the before to last symbol of the first and 11th slot of
each radio frame. The UE would be able to determine the CP length by checking the absolute position of the SSS.
The UE would also be able to determine the position of the 10 ms frame boundary as the SSS signal alternates in a
specific manner between two transmissions (the SSS uses a sequence known as M-sequences).

In the frequency domain, the PSS and SSS occupy the central six resource blocks, irrespective of the system
channel bandwidth, which allows the UE to synchronize to the network without a priori knowledge of the allocated
bandwidth. The synchronization sequences use 62 sub-carriers in total, with 31 sub-carriers mapped on each side
of the DC sub-carrier which is not used. This leaves 5 sub-carriers at each extremity of the 6 central RBs unused.

Radio Frame (10 ms)

2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10

Subframe
(1ms)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Normal CP PSS

1 2 3 4 5 6 SSS
Extended CP

1 Slot (0.5 ms)

FIGURE 8 SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNAL FRAME AND SLOT STRUCTURE IN TIME DOMAIN.

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 Radio Frame (10 ms)
6 RBs

12
11
10 R R PSS
9
8
SSS
R R
6
Reference Symbol
5 X X
4 R X X R X Unused Resource Element
3 X X
2 X X
R 2 3 4 5 X X R 2 3 4 5 6 7

Subframe (1ms)
FIGURE 9 SYNCHRONIZATION SIGNALS FRAME STRUCTURE IN FREQUENCY AND TIME DOMAIN.

PHYSICAL CHANNELS
DOWNLINK PHYSICAL CHANNELS
LTE defines a number of downlink physical channels to carry information blocks received from the MAC and higher
layers. These channels are categorized as transport or control channels.

TRANSPORT CHANNELS
1- Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH): The PBCH broadcasts a limited number of parameters essential for
initial access of the cell such as downlink system bandwidth, the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel
structure, and the most significant eight-bits of the System Frame Number. These parameters are carried
in what’s called a Master Information Block which is 14 bits long.

The PBCH is designed to be detectable without prior knowledge of system bandwidth and to be accessible
at the cell edge. The MIB is coded at a very low coding rate and mapped to the 72 center sub-carriers (6
RBs) of the OFDM structure. PBCH transmission is spread over four 10 ms frames (over subframe #0) to
span a 40 ms period as shown in Figure 10. Each subframe is self decodable which reduces latency and UE
battery drain in case of good signal quality, otherwise, the UE would ‘soft-combine’ multiple transmissions

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 until the PBCH is decoded. The PBCH is transmitted using Space Frequency Block Code (SFBC), a form of
transmit diversity, in case of multiple antennas thereby allowing for greater coverage.

One Frame (10 ms)

40 ms
6 RBs (1.08 MHz)

PBCH

FIGURE 10 PBCH STRUCTURE.

2- Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH): The PDSCH is the main data bearing channel which is
allocated to users on a dynamic and opportunistic basis. The PDSCH carries data in what’s known as
Transport Blocks (TB) which correspond to a MAC PDU. They are passed from the MAC layer to the PHY
layer once per Transmission Time Interval (TTI) which is 1 ms (i.e. 1 ms scheduling interval to meet low
latency requirements).

To guard against propagation channel errors, convolutional turbo coder is used for forward error
correction. The data is mapped to spatial layers according to the type of multi-antenna technique (e.g.
closed loop spatial multiplexing, open-loop, spatial multiplexing, transmit diversity, etc.) and then mapped
to a modulation symbol which includes QPSK, 16 QAM and 64 QAM.

Physical resources are assigned on a basis on two resource blocks for one TTI (1 ms). This is referred to by
‘pair of resource blocks’ which is the quantum of resources that can be allocated. It corresponds to 12
sub-carriers (180 kHz) for 14 OFDM symbols (normal CP mode).

The PDCH is also used to transmit broadcast information not transmitted on the PBCH which include
System Information Blocks (SIB) and paging messages.

3- Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH): This channel defines the physical layer structure to carry Multimedia
Broadcast and Multicast Services (MBMS). However, MBMS are not included in the first release of LTE.
The PMCH is designed for a single-frequency network and it requires that the base stations transmit with
tight time synchronization the same modulated symbols. The PMCH is transmitted in specific dedicated
subframes where the PDSCH is not transmitted.

CONTROL CHANNELS
Control occupy the first 1, 2, or 3 OFDM symbols in a subframe extending over the entire system bandwidth as
shown in Figure 11. In narrow band systems (less than 10 RBs), the control symbols can be increased to include the
fourth OFDM symbol.

1- Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH): The PDCCH carries the resource assignment for UEs which
are contained in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. Multiple PDCCHs can be transmitted in

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 the same subframe using Control Channel Elements (CCE) each of which is a nine set of four resource
elements known as Resource Element Groups (REG). QPSK modulation is used for the PDCCH. Four QPSK
symbols are mapped to each REG. Furthermore, 1, 2, 4, or 8 CCEs can be used for a UE depending on
channel conditions to ensure sufficient robustness.

1 Subframe (1 ms)
12
11
12 Sub-carriers

R R R R
9 Reference symbols (two
8
R R R R antenna ports)
6
5
R R R R
Control resource elements
3
2
R 2 3 4 R 6 7 R 2 3 4 R 6 7

12
11
12 Sub-carriers

R R R R
9
8
R R R R
6
5
R R R R
3
2
R 2 3 4 R 6 7 R 2 3 4 R 6 7

FIGURE 11 CONTROL CHANNEL SIGNALLING REGION (3 OFDM SYMBOL EXAMPLE).

2- Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH): This channel carries the Control Frame Indicator
(CFI) which includes the number of OFDM symbols used for control channel transmission in each
subframe (typically 1, 2, or 3). The 32-bit long CFI is mapped to 16 Resource Elements in the first OFDM
symbol of each downlink frame using QPSK modulation.

3- Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH): The PHICH carries the HARQ ACK/NAK which indicates to
the UE whether the eNodeB correctly received uplink user data carried on the PUSCH. BPSK modulation is
used with repetition factor of 3 for robustness.

UPLINK PHYSICAL CHANNELS

There are three physical layer channels defined for the uplink in LTE as described below.

Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH): This channel carries user data. It supports QPSK and 16 QAM modulation
with 64QAM being optional. Information bits are first channel-coded with a turbo code of mother rate of 1/3
before being adapted by a rate matching process for a final suitable code rate. Adjacent data symbols are mapped
to adjacent SC-FDMA symbols in the time domain before being mapped across sub-carriers. After this interleaving
process, bits are scrambled before modulation mapping, DFT-spreading, sub-carrier mapping and OFDM
modulation. Channel coding is similar to that of the downlink.

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The uplink scheduling interval is 1 ms, similar to the downlink. However, it is possible to ‘bundle’ a group of 4 TTIs
to improve performance at cell edge and reduce higher layer protocol overhead. In this case, a MAC PDU is
segmented for transmission over multiple TTIs. In the frequency domain, transmissions are allocated based on
multiples of 180 kHz resource blocks. Uplink resources corresponding to the same set of sub-carriers are assigned
for the two slots of a subframe. However, inter-slot frequency hopping is an option whereby different sub-carriers
are used for the second slot resulting in a frequency diversity gain and averages interference provided different
hopping sequences are used in neighboring cells.

The PUSCH carries in addition to user data any control information necessary to decode the information such as
transport format indicators and MIMO parameters. Control data is multiplexed with information data prior to DFT
spreading.

Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH): Control signaling comprises uplink data transmitted independently of
traffic data which include HARQ ACK/NACK, channel quality indicators (CQI), MIMO feedback (Rank Indicator, RI;
Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI) and scheduling requests for uplink transmission. This channel transmits in a
frequency region at the edge of the system bandwidth as shown in Figure 12. It consists of one RB per transmission
at one end of the system bandwidth followed by a RB in the following slot at the opposite end of the channel
spectrum thus making use of frequency diversity with an estimated gain of 2 dB. A PUCCH Control Region
comprises every two such RBs. Table 2 shows the typical number of PUCCH regions for different system
bandwidths. BPSK or QPSK are used for modulation of PUCCH information.

One Subframe (1 ms)

12 Sub-
carriers

PUCCH (UE #2) PUCCH (UE #1)

PUCCH (UE #4) PUCCH (UE #3)
Uplink Channel Bandwidth

Data (PUSCH)

PUCCH (UE #3) PUCCH (UE #4)

PUCCH (UE #1) PUCCH (UE #2)

One Slot (0.5 ms)

FIGURE 12 PHYSICAL UPLINK CONTROL CHANNEL STRUCTURE.

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 TABLE 2 TYPICAL NUMBER OF PUCCH REGIONS.
System Bandwidth (MHz) 1.25 2.5 5 10 15 20
PUCCH Control Regions 1 2 4 8 12 16
Number of Resource Blocks 2 4 8 16 24 32

Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH): This channel carries the random access preamble a UE sends to access
the network in non-synchronized mode and used to allow the UE to synchronize timing with the eNodeB. It
consists of 72 sub-carriers in the frequency domain (six Resource Block, 1.08 MHz) as shown in Figure 13. FDD LTE
defines four different Random Access (RA) preamble formats with different preamble and cyclic prefix duration to
accommodate different cell sizes. Preamble Format 0, which is well suited for small to medium size cells (up to
approximately 14 km), uses a full 1 ms subframe and has a preamble duration of 800 µs with 103 µs cyclic prefix
and 97 µs guard time, as shown in Figure 14.
72 Sub-carriers
1.08 MHz

10 ms Frame 1 ms Subframe

Data Random Access Preamble (PRACH)

FIGURE 13 RANDOM ACCESS PREAMBLE TRANSMISSION.

Cyclic Preamble Guard

Prefix Time

103.13 µs 800 µs 96.88 µs

FIGURE 14 RANDOM ACCESS PREAMBLE.

CONCLUSIONS
The LTE physical layer implements a number of technologies to deliver on requirements for high data rates and
spectral efficiency. OFDMA with MIMO allows the downlink to provide as high as 100 Mbps in link throughput
while SC-FDMA on the uplink reduces design complexity for the user terminals by reducing PAPR. The design of the

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physical layer and system parameters are well matched with the characteristics of mobile propagation channel to
allow optional downlink and uplink frequency selective scheduling thereby enhancing throughput performance.
Adaptive modulation and coding maximizes throughput to individual subscribers and increases overall cell
capacity.

Aside from capacity, the physical layer is structured to provide low latency. The 1 ms subframe duration provides
low latency through small scheduling intervals while maintaining low overhead related to higher layer protocols.
The PHY is also well designed to provide high cell-edge performance with specific features such as dynamic
bandwidth allocation to users and the design of reference signals and control channels which take into account
more challenging path loss and interference environment at the cell edge.

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project

ACK Acknowledgment
ARQ Automatic Repeat Request
CCE Control Channel Elements
CDMA Code Division Multiple Access
CP Cyclic Prefix
CQI channel quality indicators
DCI Downlink Control Information
DFTS-OFDM Discreet Fourier Transform – OFDM
DL Downlink
DM-RS Demodulation Reference Signals
FDD Frequency Division Duplex
FFT Fast Fourier Transform
HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request
IFFT Inverse Fast Fourier Transform
ISI Intersymbol Interference
LTE Long Term Evolution
MAC Medium Access Control Layer
MBMS Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services
MIB Master Information Block
MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output
NACK Negative Acknowledgment
OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex Access
PAPR Peak-to-Average Power Ratio
PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel
PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel
PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel
PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel
PDU Protocol Data Unit
PHICH Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel
PHY Physical Layer
PMI Precoding Matrix Indicator
PRACH Physical Random Access Channel
PSS Primary Synchronization Sequence
PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel
PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel
RB Resource Block
RE Resource Element
REG Resource Element Groups
RI Rank Indicator
SC-FDMA Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access
SFBC Space Frequency Block Code

LTE in a Nutshell: The Physical Layer 16

© 2010 Telesystem Innovations Inc. All rights reserved.
SIB System Information Block
SRS Sounding Reference Signal
SSS Synchronization Sequence
TB Transport Block
TDD Time Division Duplex
TTI Transmission Time Interval
UE User Equipment
UL Uplink
UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunication System
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

LTE in a Nutshell: The Physical Layer 17

© 2010 Telesystem Innovations Inc. All rights reserved.
Corporate Headquarters

18 Byer Drive
Markham, ON L3P 6V9
Canada
+1.416.969.9570

Inquiries
Frank Rayal, CTO
+1.416.294.7211
frank@tsiwireless.com

For more information please visit

www.tsiwireless.com

Telesystem Innovations Inc. (TSI) is a leading telecommunications management

and technical consulting firm focusing on broadband wireless system
deployments and applications. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the company
has served customers on a global basis and particularly in emerging markets
because of the large demand for broadband wireless.
TSI services entities across the wireless network supply chain: equipment
vendors, system integrators and network operators. TSI services are provided
by a team of telecommunication industry professionals with expertise in
managing large-scale wireless network buildout, optimization and expansion;
product development, design and marketing; financial analysis and market
research; and business development. TSI staff has contributed to the
successful launch of several wireless networks on a worldwide scale including
networks in Canada, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Latin
America.
Copyright ©2010 Telesystem Innovations Inc. All Rights Reserved. Information
in this document is subject to change without notice. Telesystem Innovations
assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.

TSI 100402-004

LTE in a Nutshell: The Physical Layer 18

© 2010 Telesystem Innovations Inc. All rights reserved.